Tom Yulsman writes that we are seeing truly weird behavior in the Arctic region, with temperatures in some areas soaring 35oF (20oC) above the norm.
Sea ice in the Arctic has been trending at record low levels since the third week of October — and now, something really crazy is happening up there.
The Arctic is heading into the dead of winter, and across a vast swath of territory, the polar night has descended, with 24 hours of darkness each day. This is when temperatures should be plunging, and sea ice should be expanding rapidly.
Instead, temperatures are soaring, and sea ice is actually shrinking.
This shouldn’t be happening.
Meanwhile large parts of Eurasia covering Russia, Siberia, China and India have seen record cold temperatures. Scandinavia has been unusually cold and snowy, so it is as if the cold has shifted away from the Arctic to these other regions. Weird.
Just a quick pointer to “Bad Astronomer” Phil Plait’s article about this: What the Heck Is Going on at the North Pole?
Paging senator Inhofe! Priority alert! The Arctic needs snowballs! You can do it, you can be a hero!